BY THE NUMBERS: 18-0 – Florida State’s all-time series advantage over Duke. The teams met every team from 1992 to 2007 then in back-to-back years in 2011 and 2012. Florida State has scored 25 or more points in each meeting, with Duke never scoring more than 27 points. The closest outcome came in 2007 in Tallahassee when Florida State won 25-6.

FLORIDA STATE GAME PLAN: Keep on keeping on. The Seminoles have only trailed in three of their 12 games and only once as late as the second quarter. FSU has outscored it opposition by a staggering 162-35 in the first quarter and by margins of 190-27 and 179-29 in the second and third quarters, respectively. The fourth quarter margin of 113-41 is only somewhat respectable due to the Seminoles being able to liberally substitute in their many blowout wins. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston leads the way with a 192.6 pass efficiency rating that would be the FBS single-season record; Russell Wilson’s 191.8 for Wisconsin in 2011 is the current record.

DUKE GAME PLAN: The Blue Devils have lived a charmed life this season, especially when you consider they started 0-2 in league play and were trailing 22-0 at Virginia in their third ACC contest before rallying for a 35-22 victory. Much of Duke’s success has come with late-game excellence. The Blue Devils have yielded only 37 points in the fourth quarter this season and in six years with David Cutcliffe as head coach, Duke is 26-2 in games in which it has the lead after three quarters. The challenge in this matchup will be in taking any lead at any point in the game.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: A Florida State victory would actually benefit the ACC more financially since the Seminoles would be headed to the BCS title game Jan. 6 in Pasadena, Cal., with Duke likely bound for the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta and Clemson expected to fill the ACC champion’s slot in the Jan. 3 Orange Bowl in Miami. A Duke victory would send the Blue Devils to the Orange Bowl and many think Florida State would be chosen for the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

NOTABLE: When Florida State earned the No. 1 ranking in this week’s BCS standings, it became the first time the Seminoles or any ACC team have claimed the top spot since the final rankings of the 1999 season….

A Florida State victory would give the Seminoles their 14th ACC title, which would tie them with Clemson for most championships in league history….

Duke quarterback Anthony Boone, the projected starter, is 10-0 all-time as the Blue Devils’ starting quarterback. That includes 9-0 this season. Ironically, Boone remains the dubious answer to an unusual Gastonia high school football trivia question. Before this season, Boone was the losing quarterback (for Weddington in a 28-7 defeat in the 2009 N.C. 3AA playoffs) for Forestview’s only playoff victory….

With tarps already being placed in the end zones of both upper decks earlier in the week, there’s a chance this year’s game could be the least-attended of the nine ACC title games. The previous low is the 53,212 that saw Virginia Tech beat Boston College 30-16 in 2007. Charlotte’s previous low was last year’s 64,778 that watched Florida State defeat Georgia Tech 21-15….

Both teams have set records for touchdowns scored this season – Florida State’s 84 touchdowns is a league record and Duke’s 24 rushing touchdowns and 23 passing touchdowns mark the first time in school history the Blue Devils have scored 20 or more rushing and passing touchdowns in the same season.

PREDICTION: Florida State’s offense has been so productive it’s hard to imagine any letdown for the Seminoles, who know they are one win away from a national championship game. However, will the pressure of being ranked No. 1 get to them? Also, with the cloud of suspicion over potential sexual assault charges over, does Florida State redshirt freshman Jameis Winston press to impress Heisman Trophy voters? Florida State 42, Duke 28.